Water purifying apparatus and filter structure

ABSTRACT

A water purifying apparatus including a head having a water inlet portion and a water outlet portion; a shaft provided in the head and rotatably mounted between the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; a bypass flow path passing through a circumference of the shaft, and communicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portion according to rotation of the shaft; a filter detachably mounted to the head, and having a filter inserting portion in which the shaft is inserted when being mounted on the head; and a filtering flow path in which an inlet port and an outlet port are formed on the circumference of the shaft in a direction intersecting the bypass flow path, and communicated between the filter, the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion with each other according to the rotation of the shaft.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 and 35 U.S.C. §365 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0034309 filed on Mar. 22,2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

In general, a water purifying apparatus is used to purify water using afilter or a filtering material, and includes an apparatus that purifieswater from a water pipe or tank.

A representative example of the water purifying apparatus that suppliesdrinkable water is a water purifier. Recently, the entire or a portionof such a water purifying apparatus has been provided even in arefrigerator to be supplied with purified water through the refrigeratoror make ice using the purified water.

In a refrigerator including the water purifying apparatus, a filterconstituting the water purifying apparatus is required to be replaced orinspected as necessary. Accordingly, for this purpose, the filter isdetachably installed. The water purifying apparatus is configured tohave a bypass flow path which is capable of supplying water even in astate where the filter is separated and then a user can dispense watereven during replacement or inspection of the filter.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0135021 discloses a headfor a water purifying filter having a bypass structure. However, thehead has a complicated structure to enable the flow path to be openedand closed by a flow path switching plunger which is supported by anelastic member during attachment and detachment of the filter.Therefore, there is decreased productivity and assembling workability.Additionally, the bypass path of the flow path is complicated due to thestructure of the flow path switching plunger which is slid, therebydeteriorating the flow performance of water. Furthermore, the flow pathis not capable of being switched when the performance of the elasticmember is deteriorated or the elastic member is abnormal.

SUMMARY

The disclosed embodiments provide a water purifying apparatus which iscapable of continuously supplying water by a bypass flow path beingswitched according to attachment and detachment of a filter.

The disclosed embodiments provide a water purifying apparatus which hasa simple bypass flow path switching structure and thus is improved inproductivity and assembling workability.

The disclosed embodiments provide a water purifying apparatus in which abypass flow path is capable of being switched by rotation mounting of afilter.

The disclosed embodiments provide a water purifying apparatus which iseasy the attachment and the detachment of the filter.

The disclosed embodiments provide a water purifying apparatus in whichthe flow of water is capable of being smoothly performed when the bypassflow path is converted by the attachment and the detachment of thefilter.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a water purifyingapparatus includes a head on which a water inlet portion and a wateroutlet portion are formed to face each other in a straight line; amounting member on which a rotation supporting portion is formed tosurround the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion of thehead; a water inlet pipe and a water outlet pipe which are connected tothe mounting member; a shaft provided in the head and rotatably mountedbetween the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; a bypassflow path formed to pass through a circumference of the shaft, having aflow path projecting portion on a penetrated flow path, andcommunicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portionaccording to rotation of the shaft; a filter detachably mounted to thehead, and having a filter inserting portion in which the shaft isinserted when being mounted on the head; and a filtering flow path inwhich an inlet port and an outlet port are formed on the circumferenceof the shaft in a direction intersecting the bypass flow path, and whichcommunicates between the filter, the water inlet portion and the wateroutlet portion with each other according to the rotation of the shaft.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a water purifyingapparatus includes a head on which a water inlet portion and a wateroutlet portion are formed; a shaft provided in the head and rotatablymounted between the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; abypass flow path formed to pass through a circumference of the shaft andcommunicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portionaccording to rotation of the shaft; a filtering flow path formed in theshaft in a direction intersecting the bypass flow path; an inner pipeformed to extend downward from the shaft and having a pipe cutoutportion on an end thereof; a filter detachably mounted to the head andhaving a filter inserting portion in which the shaft is inserted whenbeing mounted on the head; and a first connecting portion formed on asupporter extending portion which extends in a direction of the shaft inthe filter insertion portion, to rotate the shaft upon rotatablycoupling of the filter by coupling with the pipe cutout portion.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a water purifyingapparatus includes a head on which a water inlet portion and a wateroutlet portion are formed; a shaft provided in the head, and rotatablymounted between the water inlet portion and the water outlet portion; abypass flow path formed to pass through a circumference of the shaft andcommunicating the water inlet portion with the water outlet portionaccording to rotation of the shaft; a filtering flow path formed in theshaft to be separated from the bypass flow path; an inner pipe formed toextend downward from the shaft and having a pipe cutout portion on anend thereof and connected to the filtering flow path; a filterdetachably mounted to the head and having a filter inserting portion inwhich the shaft is inserted when being mounted on the head; a supporterextending portion forming a first filter inlet flow path which isconnected to the inner pipe and provided in the filter; and a firstconnecting portion formed on an upper portion of the supporter extendingportion to rotate the shaft upon rotatably coupling of the filter bycoupling with the pipe cutout portion.

According to another embodiment of the invention, a filter structureincludes a housing body formed in a cylindrical shape to have a firstaccommodating space and having an upper opening portion; a housing capcoupled to the upper opening portion of the housing body by a portionthereof being formed in a cylindrical shape to have a secondaccommodating space, wherein a coupling projection and an upper openingportion are formed on an outer circumferential surface thereof, and ahousing fastening portion is formed on an inner circumferential surfacethereof; a filtering member having a cylindrical shape accommodated inthe first accommodating space; and an upper supporter coupled to anupper portion of the filtering member and an inner surface of thehousing cap respectively, and accommodated in the second accommodatingspace.

The upper supporter includes a supporter accommodating portion coupledto the upper portion of the filtering member; a supporter steppedportion integrally formed on an upper portion of the supporteraccommodating portion and in which a second filter inlet flow path isformed on the outer circumferential surface thereof so that water issupplied in a space between the outer circumferential surface of thefiltering member and the housing body; a supporter extending portionwhich extends upward from the supporter stepped portion, in which afirst filter inlet flow path which communicates with a second filterinlet flow path is formed on a center portion thereof, in which a pairof projecting portions are formed to be extend on the upper portion ofthe first filter inlet flow path and in which a filter outlet flow pathis formed on an outside of the first filter inlet flow path; and asupporter fastening portion which prevents a rotation of the uppersupporter in the housing cap by being coupled to the housing fasteningportion.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of theinvention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of theinvention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a state where a door of therefrigerator is opened according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a disposition structure of awater supplying flow path of the refrigerator according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the waterpurifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a waterpurifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where afilter and a head of the water purifying apparatus are separatedaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating the structure of the filteraccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9′ of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10′ of FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating an uppersupporter of the filter according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the head according to an embodimentof the invention.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a couplingstructure of the head viewed from a side according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the couplingstructure of the head viewed from the other side according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 15 is a cutaway exploded perspective view illustrating an internalstructure of the head viewed from one side according to an embodiment ofthe invention.

FIG. 16 is a cutaway exploded perspective view illustrating the internalstructure of the head viewed from the other side according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the head viewed from thelower side according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 18 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating the headaccording to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state where thefilter and the head are separated from each other according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of portion A of FIG. 19.

FIG. 21 is a view illustrating a shaft position in a state where thefilter and the head are separated from each other according to anembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is inserted intoan inside of the head according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 23 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is fullyinserted into the inside of the head according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 24 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is rotated forcoupling in a state where the filter is fully inserted into the insideof the head according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of portion B in FIG. 24.

FIG. 26 is a view illustrating a shaft position in a state where thefilter is coupled to the head according to an embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. In thefollowing description, the same elements will be designated by the samereference numerals although they are shown in different drawings.Further, in the following description of embodiments of the presentdisclosure, a detailed description of known functions and configurationsincorporated herein will be omitted when it may make the subject matterof the present disclosure rather unclear.

FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating a refrigerator according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a front view illustrating a statewhere a door of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 is opened.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, an outer appearance of a refrigerator 1which includes a water purifying apparatus may be formed by a cabinet 10that forms a storage space, and a door 10 that opens and closes thestorage space of the cabinet 10.

The cabinet 10 may include an outer case 11 made of a metal material(not limited thereto) forming the outer surface and an inner case 12made of a resin material (not limited thereto), which is coupled withthe outer case 11 and forming a storage space in an inside portion ofthe refrigerator 1. Insulation material may be provided between theouter case 11 and the inner case 12 to insulate the space in the insideof the refrigerator 1.

The storage space may be separated in a vertical direction. Theseparation may be formed by a barrier 13. Accordingly, the storage spacemay include an upper refrigerating compartment 14 and a lower freezingcompartment 15. The freezing compartment 15 may be further separated ina lateral direction. It will be apparent that the storage space may bedivided into left and right compartments based on the barrier 13, and isnot limited to any particular configuration.

The door 20 may include a refrigerating compartment door 21 and afreezing compartment door 22, which independently open and close therefrigerating compartment 14 and the freezing compartment 15,respectively.

Both of the refrigerating compartment door 21 and the freezingcompartment door 22 may open and close the refrigerating compartment 14and the freezing compartment 15 by rotation thereof. For this, each ofthe refrigerating compartment door 21 and the freezing compartment door22 may be rotatably connected to the cabinet 10 by a door hinge 26 (seeFIG. 3). In addition, the refrigerating compartment door 21 may beconfigured as a French type door configured such that a pair of doorsindependently rotate at both left and right sides.

A dispenser 23 and an ice maker 24 may be provided at one of the pair ofrefrigerating compartment doors 21.

The dispenser 23 may be provided at a front surface of the refrigeratingcompartment door 21, and enable a user to dispense water or ice bymanipulating the dispenser 23 from the outside. An ice makingcompartment 25 may be provided above the dispenser 23.

The ice making compartment 25 is a heat insulating space in which ice ismade and stored. The ice maker 24 may be accommodated in inside the icemaking compartment. The ice making compartment 25 may be opened/closedby a separate door. Although not shown in the drawings, the ice makingcompartment 25 may communicate with the freezing compartment 15 by acool air duct in a state in which the refrigerating compartment door 21is closed, and may receive cool air necessary for the ice making from afreezing compartment evaporator (not shown).

A plurality of shelves and drawers for storing food may be providedinside the refrigerating compartment 14. For example, as shown in FIG.2, a drawer assembly 16 may be provided at a bottom surface of therefrigerating compartment 14. The drawer assembly 16 may include adrawer 161 that is slidable and a cover 162 that shields a top surfaceof the drawer 161.

The drawer assembly 16 may be configured such that the inside thereof isvisible therethrough, and a main water tank 34 (see FIG. 3) provided ata rear side of the refrigerating compartment 14 may be shielded by thedrawer 161.

A water purifying apparatus 17 may be provided at a side of the drawerassembly 16 for purifying water to be supplied and then supplying thepurified water to the dispenser 23 and the ice maker 24. The waterpurifying apparatus 17 may be disposed between the accommodating spaceand the wall surface of the drawer 161 and may be shielded by a frontsurface of the drawer 161. Therefore, in a state where the drawer 161 isclosed, the water purifying apparatus 17 is not exposed to the outside,and in a state where the drawer 161 is withdrawn, the water purifyingapparatus is exposed to the outside thus providing access to the waterpurifying apparatus 17. It is understood that the mounting position ofthe water purifying apparatus 17 is not limited to one side of thedrawer 161 and may be provided in the region of the refrigeratingcompartment 14 including the refrigerating compartment 14 or therefrigerating compartment door 21.

A plurality of shelves having a cantilever structure may be detachablyprovided above the drawer assembly 16 such that their heights arerespectively adjustable. A main duct 18 may be provided at a rearsurface of the refrigerating compartment 14 and cool air generated froman evaporator (not shown) may be supplied to the inside portion of therefrigerating compartment 14 through a plurality of discharging portswhich are formed in a main duct 18.

FIG. 3 is a view schematically illustrating a disposition structure of awater supplying flow path of the refrigerator according to an embodimentof the invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the refrigerator 1 may include a water supplyingflow path 30 that purifies or cools water being supplied from anexternal water supply source and then dispenses water from the dispenser23, or supplies the purified water to the dispenser 23 or the icemaker24.

The water supplying flow path 30 may be directly connected to a watersupply source 2, such as a water supply pipe, at the outside of therefrigerator, and be introduced into a space of the refrigerator througha tube guide 19 mounted in the cabinet 10 to be connected to an inletportion of the water purifying apparatus 17 in the refrigerator.

The water supplying flow path 30 may include a water supply valve 31 anda flow rate sensor 32. The flow rate sensor 32 may be integrally formedwith the water supply valve 31.

The water supplying flow path 30 may connect the water purifyingapparatus 17 and a first branch pipe 33 with each other. The watersupplying flow paths 30 branched from the first branch pipe 33 may beconnected to the main water tank 34 arid a first branch valve 35,respectively.

The water supplying flow path 30 which is connected to an outlet portionof the first branch valve 35 may extend along an upper surface afterextending along a side wall of the inside of the cabinet 10 or a rearwall surface of the outside of the cabinet 10 through the tube guide 19and may be introduced into the refrigerating compartment door 21 via thedoor hinge 26.

The water supplying flow path of the refrigerating compartment door 21may be branched by a second branch pipe 36 and connected to an inletportion of a sub water tank 37 and a second branch valve 38. The subwater tank 37 may be connected to the dispenser 23 so that cooled wateris capable of dispensed through the dispenser 23.

An outlet portion of the second branch valve 38 may be respectivelyconnected to the dispenser 23 and the ice maker 24 by the watersupplying flow path 30 to be capable of supplying purified water to thedispenser 23 and the ice maker 24.

The water purified through the water purifying apparatus 17 may becooled and then supplied to the dispenser 23 or may be supplied to thedispenser 23 or the ice maker 24 in a state in which the water ispurified but not cooled.

The water purifying apparatus 17 may include a plurality of filters 40for purifying supplied water and a head unit 50 to which the pluralityof filters 40 are coupled and which is connected a flow path throughwhich water flows. The water purifying apparatus 17 may include a case171 that accommodates the filters 40 and the head unit 50.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of the waterpurifying apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the water purifying apparatus 17 may include aplurality of filters 40 and a head unit 50.

The plurality of filters 40 may include a first filter 401 which isconnected to a water inlet side of the head unit 50, a third filter 403which is connected to a water outlet side of the head unit 50, and asecond filter 402 disposed between the first filter 401 and the thirdfilter 403 and thus is capable of purifying water. The first filter 401may be a pre-carbon filter, the second filter 402 may be a membranefilter, and the third filter 403 may be a post-carbon filter.

It is understood that the invention is not limited to the number andtypes of the filters 40, and the number which is capable of beingaccommodated in the inside of the water purifying apparatus 17 anddifferent types of functional filters from each other for effectivelypurifying water may be applied.

The head unit 50 may include a plurality of heads 60 to which each ofthe filters 40 is coupled and a mounting member 70 on which the head 60is rotatably seated.

A water inlet pipe 301 for supplying original water is capable of beingconnected to one end of the mounting member 70, and a water outlet pipe302 for discharging purified water is capable of being connected to theother end thereof.

Each of the plurality of heads 60 may be independently rotated in astate where the plurality of heads 60 are mounted on the mounting member70. The flow paths of the plurality of heads 60 are capable of beingconnected to each other by connecting pipes 71 and the original waterwhich flows in through the water inlet pipe 301 is purified afterpassing through each of the filters 40 and then may be flows out fromthe water outlet pipe 302.

Each of the connecting pipes 71 may be mounted on the mounting member 70and is provided between adjacent two heads 60 to each other to allowwater to flow between each of the heads 60. A cover 72 may be mounted onone side of the mounting member 70 which corresponds to the connectingpipe 71 to shield the connecting pipe 71.

The head 60 may include a head body 61 to which an upper end of thefilter 40 is inserted and then fixed, and a shaft (90 in FIG. 6)connected to the upper end of the filter 40 in the inside portion of thehead body 61 and thus forms a flow path through which water flows. Thehead 50 may further include a head cap 62 for shielding an upper surfaceof the head body 61 into which the shaft 90 may be inserted.

The filter 40 may be fixedly mounted to the head 60 in a rotatablemanner. The shaft 90 may be connected to the filter 40 to form a flowpath in a process of the filter 40 being mounted and when the filter 40is rotated, the shaft 90 is rotated along with the filter 40 so that theflow path of the shaft 90 is capable of being switched.

For example, in a case where the filter 40 is mounted, the flow path maybe switched to the filter 40 side by the shaft 90 so that the water iscapable of being purified through the filter 40. In a case where thefilter 40 is separated, the supplying water is capable of being bypassedwithout passing through the filter 40, and thus the flow path is capableof being switched so that water passes through the head 60. Theswitching and detailed structure of the flow path will be described inmore detail in the following other embodiments.

The case 171 may have various structures which can accommodate thefilter 40 and the head unit 50. The case 171 is capable of fullyaccommodating the filter 40 and the head unit 50. Alternatively, thecase 171 may accommodate a portion of the filter 40 and/or the head unit50.

The case 171 may have a structure which is capable of being fixedlymounted at one side of the inside portion of the refrigeratingcompartment 14. Alternatively, the case 171 may not be provided and themounting member 70 may be directly mounted to a side of the innerportion of the refrigerating compartment 14.

Only one filter 40 may be provided according to the function of thewater purifying apparatus 17. In such case where only one filter 40 isprovided, one head unit 50 and one mounting member 70 may be provided.The structure of the head 60 may have the same structure irrespective ofwhether there is just one head 60 or there are a plurality of the heads60. Hereinafter, a water purifying apparatus having one filter 40 andone head 60 will be described.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a waterpurifying apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention.FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a state where afilter and a head of the water purifying apparatus are separated.

With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, a water purifying apparatus 17 mayinclude a filter 40 arid a head 60. The water purifying apparatus 17 mayfurther include a mounting member 70 on which the head 60 is mounted.

The filter 40 may have a cylindrical shape (not limited thereto). Theouter shape of the filter 40 may be formed by the housing 41. Thehousing 41 may include a housing body 42 to accommodate a filteringmember (44 in FIG. 7) in an inside portion thereof, and a housing cap 43which may be coupled to an upper end of the housing body 42 to form anupper portion of the housing 41.

The housing body 42 may have a cylindrical shape (not limited thereto)to define a first accommodating space for accommodating the filteringmember 44. The housing body 42 may have an upper opening portion.

The housing cap 43 may be coupled to the upper opening portion of thehousing body 42. The housing cap 43 may define a second accommodatingspace for accommodating a portion of the filtering member 44. As such, aportion of the housing cap 42 may have a cylindrical shape. The housingcap 43 includes an upper opening portion. A portion of the shaft 90 iscapable of being inserted through the upper opening portion of thehousing cap 43 (discussed in more detail below).

The housing cap 43 may be inserted into an opened lower surface of thehead 60. A pair of O-rings 432 may be provided at an upper end of thehousing cap 43. The O-rings 432 may be hermetically sealed with theinner surface of the head 60 to prevent leakage.

A coupling projection 433 may be provided on an outer circumferentialsurface of the upper portion of the housing cap 43. The couplingprojection 433 is capable of being moved along a coupling groove 631which is formed on an inner surface of the head 60 when the upperportion of the filter 40 is inserted into the inside of the head 60.

The coupling projection 433 and the coupling groove 631 may be formed ina direction intersecting a direction into which the filter 40 isinserted. Accordingly, the filter 40 is rotated in a state of beinginserted into the inside of the head 60 and may have a structure inwhich the coupling projection 433 and the coupling groove 631 arecoupled to each other by rotation of the filter 40. In a state where thefilter 40 and the head 60 are fully coupled to each other, the supplyingwater is capable of flowing into the inside portion of the filter 40 bythe filter 40 and the flow path of the head 60 being connected to eachother in the inside portion thereof.

The mounting member 70 may include a base 73 which is mounted to oneside wall surface of the refrigerator 1 or the case 171, and rotatingsupport portions 74 which project from both sides of the base 73 androtatably support both sides of the head 60.

End portions of the water inlet pipe 301 and the water outlet pipe 302may be disposed on the rotating support portion 74. The water inlet pipe301 and the water outlet pipe 302 may be connected to a water inletportion 611 and a water outlet portion 612 of the head 60 at therotating support portion 74.

The head 60 may be rotatably mounted on the mounting member 70 by therotating support portion 74. Therefore, a space for attachment anddetachment of the filter 40 can be formed by operating rotation ortilting of the head 60 at the time of attachment and detachment of thefilter 40. Thus, the manual operation for the attachment and detachmentof the filter 40 can be more easily performed.

The head 60 may be formed in a cylindrical shape (not limited thereto)having an opened lower surface. The head 60 may include a head body 61to which the filter 40 is inserted and fixed, and a shaft 90 which isaccommodated in the inside of the head body 61. The head 60 may furtherinclude a head cap 62 to shield an opened upper surface of the head body61.

An insertion indicating portion 613 for indicating an insertion positionof the coupling projection 433 may be formed on the outer surface of thehead body 61. The insertion indicating portion 613 may be formed byprinting, molding or machining. The user can recognize the position ofthe coupling groove 631 by viewing the insertion indicating portion 613,and may more easily perform alignment between the coupling projection433 and the coupling groove 631.

A rotation indicating portion 614 for indicating the rotationaldirection of the filter 40 may be formed on the outer surface of thehead body 61. The rotation indicating portion 614 may be formed byprinting, molding or machining. The engagement projection 433 may bemoved along and coupled to the inside of the coupling groove 631 by theuser operating rotation of the filter 40 in a correct direction by therotation indicating portion 614.

An opening portion 632 for checking the engaging restraint state of thecoupling projection 433 may be further formed on the outer surface ofthe head body 61. The opening portion 632 may be formed at a positionwhich corresponds to the position of the coupling groove 631 or mayinclude at least a portion of the coupling groove 631.

FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating the structure of the filteraccording to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 8 is a longitudinalsectional view of FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken alongline 9-9′ of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along line10-10′ of FIG. 6.

With reference to FIGS. 7-10, the filter 40 may include a filter housing41 which forms an outer shape of the filter 40, a filtering member 44provided in the filter housing 41, and an upper supporter 80 forsupporting the filtering member 44.

The filter 40 may further include a lower supporter 45 for supportingthe filtering member 44 in the filter housing 41.

The filter housing 41 may be formed in a cylindrical shape (not limitedthereto), and may be formed by the housing body 42 and the housing cap43 being coupled together. A filter inserting portion 431 may be formedon the upper end of the housing cap 43. A plurality of O-rings 432 maybe vertically arranged in the filter inserting portion 431.

The coupling projection 433 may be formed on a lower side of theplurality of O-rings 432 on the outside of the filter inserting portion431. A pair of coupling projections 433 may be formed at positions whichare opposite to each other, and may be formed to have a size that iscapable of being inserted into the coupling groove 631.

The coupling projection 433 may include a projection guide portion 433a. The projection guide portion 433 a may be formed to have a slope or apredetermined curvature on the upper surface of the coupling projection433. The coupling projection 433 is configured to be in contact with agroove guide portion (633 in FIG. 15) for guiding the couplingprojection 433 to the entrance of the coupling groove 631 so as to guiderotation of the coupling projection 433 in one direction.

A restraining projection 433 b which projects to a lower side may beformed on one side of the lower surface of the coupling projection 433.The restraining projection 433 b may be engaged with the inside of thecoupling groove 631 to be restrained. Accordingly, the filter 40 iscapable of being fixed to the inside of the head 60 in a state where thecoupling projection 433 is fully inserted into the inside of thecoupling groove 631.

On the other hand, the inside portion of the filter inserting portion431 may be formed having a hollow shape. A housing fastening portion 434for being coupled with the upper supporter 80 may protrude from theinner side of the filter inserting portion 431. In other words, theupper supporter 80 is capable of being accommodated in the secondaccommodating space in which the housing cap 43 is defined. The uppersupporter 80 may be coupled to the upper portion of the filtering member44 and the inner surface of the housing cap 43, respectively.

The upper surface 434 a of the housing fastening portion 434 may be aninclined surface. For example, a pair of housing fastening portions 434may be formed at positions facing each other, and may be formed so thatinclined directions thereof are opposed to each other.

A supporter fastening portion 81 may be formed on the upper supporter 80which corresponds to the housing coupling portion 434. For example, thesupporter fastening portion 81 may be formed on the second extendingportion 87. A hook portion 811 may be formed at one end of the supporterfastening portion 81.

In a case where the upper end of the upper supporter 80 may be rotatedin one direction in a state of being inserted into the filter insertingportion 431, the hook portion 811 of the supporter fastening portion 81moves along the inclined surface of the upper surface of the housingfastening portion 434 to be restrained. In a state where the uppersupporter 80 is fully rotated, the hook portion 811 of the supporterfastening portion 81 engages with the end portion of the housingfastening portion 434 and thus the upper supporter 80 is capable ofbeing coupled to the housing cap 43.

The supporter fastening portion 81 and the housing fastening portion 434may have various structures which are mutually combined with each otherand the filter housing 41 and the upper supporter 80 in the insideportion of the filter housing 41 may be integrated with each other bythe supporter fastening portion 81 and the housing fastening portion 434being coupled to each other. Therefore, when the filter 40 is rotatedwhile the filter 40 is being mounted, the upper supporter 80 may alsorotate with the filter 40.

On the other hand, the filtering member 44 may be accommodated insidethe filter housing 41. The filtering member 44 may be a standard carbonfilter or a membrane filter. However, it is understood that varioustypes of filters may be used depending on the required purifyingperformance.

The filtering member 44 may be formed in a cylindrical shape (notlimited thereto) having a hollow 441 formed at the center thereof in thevertical direction. The upper supporter 80 and the lower supporter 45may be coupled to the upper end and the lower end of the filteringmember 44 so that the filtering member 44 is capable of being fixedlymounted on the inside of the filter housing 41.

An outer diameter of the filtering member 44 may be smaller than theinner diameter of the filter housing 41 and a space for flowing waterbetween the filter housing 41 and the outer surface of the filteringmember 44 may be formed.

The upper supporter 80 may be disposed at the upper end of the filteringmember 44 and extend in the upper direction to form a passage connectingthe inlet portion of the filter inserting portion 431 and the hollow 441to each other. Accordingly, water supplied from the head 60 is capableof flowing into the filtering member 44 through the filter insertingportion 431 and water purified in the filtering member 44 flows out tothe head 60.

The upper supporter 80 may include a supporter accommodating portion 82for accommodating the upper end of the filtering member 44.

The upper supporter 80 may further include a supporter inserting portion83 which extends from a central portion of the supporter accommodatingportion 82 in the lower direction and is inserted into the hallow 441 ofthe filtering member 44.

The upper supporter 80 may further include a supporter stepped portion84 which projects from the upper surface of the supporter insertingportion 83 in the upper direction.

The upper supporter 80 may further include a supporter extending portion85 extending from the center of the upper surface of the supporterstepped portion 84 toward the inside of the filter inserting portion431.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view illustrating an uppersupporter of the filter according to an embodiment of the invention

The upper supporter 80 will be described in more detail with referenceto FIGS. 8-11.

When the upper supporter 80 and the filtering member 44 are coupledtogether, the supporter accommodating portion 82 may surround the uppersurface arid a circumference of the filtering member 44. The supporterinserting portion 83 may be inserted into the hollow 441 such that it isin contact with an inner surface of the filtering member 44 so that theupper supporter 80 is capable of being fixedly mounted on the uppersurface of the filtering member 44.

The inside portion of the supporter inserting portion 83 may be hollowsuch that it is capable of communicating with a filter outlet flow path861 formed on the supporter extending portion 85. Accordingly, thepurified water flowing into the hollow 441 of the filtering member 44may pass through the supporter inserting portion 83, the filter outletflow path 861 and a filter outlet port 862 of the end portion of thefilter outlet flow path 861 in this order and be discharged through theopening of the filter inserting portion 431.

The supporter stepped portion 84 may protrude from the upper surface ofthe supporter accommodating portion 82. The supporter stepped portion 84may have a smaller diameter than the supporter accommodating portion 82.The circumference of the supporter stepped portion 84 and the supporteraccommodating portion 84 may be spaced apart from the inner surface ofthe housing cap 43 when the housing cap 43 and the upper supporter 80are coupled together.

The supporter extending portion 85 may extend from the center of thesupporter step portion 84 in the upper direction. The supporterextending portion 85 may be located in the filter inserting portion 431when the housing cap 43 and the upper supporter 80 are coupled together.A filter inlet flow path 871 and a filter outlet flow path 861 may beformed in the inside of the supporter extending portion 85. Therefore,water supplied into the inside portion of the filter 40 and dischargedfrom the purified water from the filter 40 is capable of being performedthrough the supporter extending portion 85.

For example, a first filter inlet flow path 872 extending in a lowerdirection may be formed on the opened upper surface of the supporterextending portion 85. The supporter stepped portion 84 may include asecond filter inlet flow path 873 passing across the supporter steppedportion 84.

The second filter inlet flow path 873 may have an opening formed in acircumferential surface of the supporter stepped portion 84 andextending toward the center of the supporter stepped portion 84. Thefirst filter inlet flow path 872 and the second filter inlet flow path873 may be connected to each other at a lower end of the supporterextending portion 85, that is, at the inside of the supporter steppedportion 84.

Accordingly, the water which flows through the filter inserting portion431 flows through the first filter inlet flow path 872 of the supporterextending portion 85 and then flows along the second filter inlet flowpath 873 which is branched into both sides at the lower end of the firstfilter inlet flow path 872 to the outside and is thus capable of beingdischarged through an opening of the circumference of the supporterstepped portion 84.

The water which is discharged through the filter inlet flowpath 871flows along the space between the filter housing 41 and the filteringmember 44. The water which flows into the outside of the filteringmember 44 may be purified in the process of coming in the hollow 441through the filtering member 44.

On the other hand, the supporter extending portion 85 may include afirst extending portion 86 which extends from the upper surface of thesupporter stepped portion 84 and a second extending portion 87 whichextends from the first extending portion 86 in the upper direction. Thefirst extending portion 86 may have an outer diameter which is largerthan the outer diameter of the second extending portion 87 and thefilter outlet port 862 may be formed on the upper side portion of thefirst extending portion 86.

A guide surface 874 which is recessed in the inside direction may beformed on the outer surface of the second extending portion 87 of theupper side of the filter outlet port 862. The guide surface 874 may beinclined and spaced apart from the filter outlet port 862 in the upperdirection. Therefore, when the purified water which is discharged to thefilter outlet port 862 flows in the upper direction, the water is guidedto the outside of the second extending portion 87 by the guide surface874 so that the water can flow more effectively.

A portion of the second extending portion 87 may extend toward theinside of the first extending portion 86 at the lower end of the guidesurface 874. At this time, the filter outlet flow path 861 may bedefined in a space between an inner surface of the first extendingportion 86 and an outer surface of the second extending portion 87. Thefirst filter inlet flow path 872 may extend from the opened uppersurface of the second extending portion 87 to the lower end thereof.

On the other hand, the outer diameter of the first extending portion 86is formed to be somewhat smaller than the inner diameter of the filterinserting portion 431 and the purified water which is discharged throughthe filter outlet port 862 is capable of being discharged through aspace between the first extending portion 56 and the filter insertingportion 431.

An outlet port groove 875 may be formed in the lower end of the guidesurface 874 of the upper side of the filter outlet port 862. The outletport groove 875 may be formed to be recessed along the circumference ofthe second extending portion 87. Accordingly, the water which isdischarged from the filter outlet ports 862 is capable of flowing alongthe outlet port groove 875 and being discharged along the water outletguide portion 965 b formed on the outer surface of the shaft 90.

The outer diameter of the second extending portion 87 may correspond tothe inner diameter of the shaft 90 which is located in the inside of thefilter inserting portion 431. Therefore, in a case where the secondextending portion 87 and the shaft 90 are communicably coupled together,water supplied through the inside of the shaft 90 is capable of flowinginside of the second extending portion 87.

A first extending portion O-ring 863 may be provided on the outside ofthe first extended portion 86 and a second extending portion O-ring 876may be provided on the outside of the second extending portion 87. Thefirst extending portion O-ring 863 is provided to create a hermetic sealbetween the inside of the filter inserting portion 431 and the firstextending portion 86. The second extending portion O-ring 876 may be inclose proximity with the inner surface of the shaft 90 to provide ahermetic seal between the second extending portion 87 and the shaft 90.

Therefore, the purifying water which flows into the inside of thesupporter extending portion 85 and the purified water which isdischarged to the outside of the supporter extending portion 85 may flowthrough independent flow paths respectively without leakage or mixingwith each other (or substantially reduced leakage/mixing).

On the other hand, a first connecting portion 851 may be formed on theupper end of the supporter extending portion 85. The first connectingportion 851 may be recessed toward the inside from the upper end of thesupporter extending portion 85 and may be symmetrical to both the leftside and the right side thereof. The first connecting portion 851 mayhave a shape corresponding to that of the second connecting portion 972of the shaft 90 (to be described below) so as to be engaged with eachother when the second connecting portion 972 is inserted into the firstconnecting portion 851. The shaft 90 and the filter 40 may be rotatedtogether in a state where the first connecting portion 851 and thesecond connecting portions 972 are coupled together.

The first connecting portion 851 may be symmetrical with respect to aprojecting portion 852 projecting from a position which is opposite tothe inner surface of the supporter extending portion 85 while beingrecessed at a predetermined depth. A first inclined surface 853 may beformed on both side ends of the first connecting portion 851, that is,on both side surfaces of the projecting portion 852. The first inclinedsurface 853 may be shaped such that the width of the first connectingportion 851 gradually increases and the width of the projecting portion852 gradually decreases from the lower side to the upper side of thefirst inclined surface. In other words, the first connecting portion 851may be formed so that the width thereof is gradually narrowed toward thedepth direction to be recessed.

The first inclined surface 853 may be inclined in a direction crossing alengthwise vertical direction of the first inclined surface 853, thatis, in a direction of rotation of the filter 40. Accordingly, theprojecting portion 852 may be formed so that the width thereof isgradually widen from the inner surface of the supporter extendingportion 85 toward the center of the inner diameter of the supporterextending portion 85.

With such configuration, the first connecting portion 851 and the secondconnecting portion 972 can be more easily assembled. In addition, in acase where the torsion moment is applied when the first connectingportion 851 and the second connecting portion 972 are in contact witheach other, the first connecting portion 851 and the second connectingportion 972 are slid so that the filter 40 can be more easily separatedfrom the shaft 90.

FIG. 12 is a side view illustrating the head according to an embodimentof the invention. FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view illustrating acoupling structure of the head viewed from a side, and FIG. 14 is anexploded perspective view illustrating the coupling structure of thehead viewed from the other side.

With reference to FIGS. 12-14, the shaft 90 may be inserted through theopened upper surface of the head body 61, and the head cap 62 may shieldor cover the opened upper surface of the head body 61.

The head body 61 may include a lower body 63 and an upper body 64.

The lower body 63 is a portion into which the filter inserting portion431 may be inserted and to which the filter inserting portion 43 may becoupled. The lower surface of the lower body 63 may be opened so thatthe filter 40 can be accommodated. The coupling groove 631 for insertingthe coupling projection 433 may be formed on the lower body 63.

An opening portion 632 for forming the coupling groove 631 may be formedon the lower body 63 and the insertion state of the coupling projection433 may be confirmed through the opening portion 632. A plurality ofsupporting ribs 634 for supporting the outer side of the filterinserting portion 431 may be formed on the circumference of the innersurface of the lower body 63 to prevent the filter 40 from sagging in astate where the filter inserting portion 431 is inserted into the lowerbody 63.

The upper body 64 may be formed at an upper end of the lower body 63 andmay have a smaller diameter than the diameter of the lower body 63. Theshaft 90 may be mounted on the inside of the upper body 64 and the shaft90 is inserted through the opened upper surface of the upper body 64 andthus may be mounted on the inside of the upper body 64.

The upper end of the filter inserting portion 431, the upper end of thesupporter extending portion 85, and the lower end of the shaft 90 may bedisposed on the inside of the upper body 64. A flow path through whichpurified water through the filter 40 is capable of flowing may be formedby coupling portions.

A water inlet portion 611 and a water outlet portion 612 may be formedto project to the outside in the upper body 64. The water inlet portion611 and the water outlet portion 612 may communicate with a water inletpipe 301 and a water outlet pipe 302, respectively. At this time, thewater inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 can selectivelycommunicate with the flow path formed in the shaft 90. The water inletportion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 may be disposed in astraight line so as to face each other in the head.

The head cap 62 may shield the upper surface of the upper body 64. Moreparticularly, the head cap 62 may press against the upper surface of theshaft 90 so that the shaft 90 can maintain a state of being fixedlymounted on the inside of the upper body 64. To this end, a cap supportportion 621 extending to the upper surface of the shaft 90 may be formedon a lower surface of the head cap 62.

The shaft 90 is capable of selectively switching the flow path of waterflowing in the inside of the head 60. The shaft 90 may be rotatablyseated on the upper body 64. A filtering flow path 96 and a bypass flowpath 95 may be formed in the shaft 90. The flow paths may be selectivelyconnected to the water inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion612 by the rotation of the shaft 90.

The shaft 90 may include an upper part 91 and a lower part 92. The upperpart 91 may have a larger diameter than the diameter of the lower part92, and may have an outer diameter corresponding to the inner diameterof the upper body 64.

A shaft O-ring 93 may be provided at the upper end and the lower end ofthe upper part 91, respectively. The shaft O-ring 93 may provide ahermetic seal between the shaft 90 and the inner surface of the upperbody 64 so as to prevent leakage of water flowing through the head 60.

A shaft inlet port 961 and a shaft outlet port 962 may be formed on thecircumference of the upper part 91 between the plurality of shaftO-rings 93, respectively. More particularly, the shaft inlet port 961and the shaft outlet port 962 may be formed at positions facing eachother and at positions corresponding to the water inlet portion 611 andthe water outlet portion 612. Therefore, water which passes through thewater inlet portion 611 can flow in the shaft inlet port 961, and waterwhich passes through the shaft outlet port 962 can be discharged throughthe water outlet portion 612.

On the other hand, the shaft inlet port 961 and the shaft outlet port962 may have a rectangular shape; however it is not limited to this. Asealing member mounting portion 911 on which a sealing member 94 ismounted may be formed on the circumference of the shaft inlet port 961and the shaft outlet port 962. The sealing member mounting portion 911and the sealing member 94 may have a rectangular shape corresponding tothe shaft inlet port 961 and the shaft outlet port 962.

At this time, the sealing member 94 may include a pressing portion 941which is pressed into and mounted on the inside of the sealing membermounting portion 911, and a sealing portion 942 which projects along thecircumference of the pressing portion 941. The sealing portion 942 maybe in contact with the inner surface of the upper body 64 when the shaft90 is mounted. Accordingly, when the shaft inlet port 961 and the shaftoutlet port 962 are connected to the water inlet portion 611 and thewater outlet portion 612 by the rotation of the shaft 90, leakage ofwater between the shaft 90 and the head 60 is prevented or substantiallyreduced. The shape of the sealing member 94 may be formed to belengthened in a direction in which the shaft 90 is rotated so that theremoval of the sealing member 94 from the shaft 90 or interference ofthe sealing member 94 with the shaft 90 is minimized during the rotationof the shaft 90.

A sealing rib 613 may be formed in a water inlet port 611 a and a wateroutlet port 612 a which are formed in the water inlet portion 611 andthe water outlet portion 612, respectively. The sealing ribs 613 preventthe sealing member 94 from being separated or damaged and may be formedto cross the water inlet port 611 a and the water outlet port 612 a ofthe inner surface of the upper body 64. The sealing ribs 613 may extendlaterally and a plurality of sealing ribs 613 may be disposed in adirection intersecting each other.

Therefore, the sealing member 94 which is passed by the water inlet port611 a and the water outlet port 612 a, which are formed in the waterinlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 respectively, ishooked into the water inlet port 611 a and the water outlet port 612 ain a process of the rotation of the shaft 90. Thus, the sealing member94 is capable of being prevented from being separated from the sealingmember mounting portion 911. In other words, since a state where thesealing ribs 613 press against the outer surface of the sealing member94 in the process of the rotation of the shaft 90, the sealing member 94is capable of being prevented from being separated from the sealingmember mounting portion 911.

A bypass inlet port 951 and a bypass outlet port 952 may be formedbetween the shaft inlet port 961 and the shaft outlet port 962 of theouter surface of the upper part 91, respectively. The bypass inlet port951 and the bypass outlet port 952 may also be disposed at positionsfacing each other. Accordingly, in a case where the bypass inlet port951 and the bypass outlet port 952 are aligned with the water inletportion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 by the rotation of theshaft 90, the water supplied to the water inlet portion 611 is capableof being discharged directly to the water outlet portion 612 through thebypass flow path 95.

The bypass inlet port 951 and the bypass outlet port 952 may be formedat positions which are the same height as the shaft inlet port 961 andthe shaft outlet port 962, respectively, and which are rotated by 90degrees to each other. Therefore, to connect the filtering flow path 96or the bypass flow path 95 to the water inlet portion 611 and the wateroutlet portion 612, the shaft 90 should be rotated by 90 degrees.

A portion which forms the upper end of the filtering flow path 96 iscapable of projecting from the bypass flow path 95 in the inside of theupper part 91. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the filtrationflow path 96 and the bypass flow path 95 at the same time in a statewhere the height of the shaft 90 is minimized. Through this, the head 60and the water purifying apparatus 17 can have a more compactconfiguration.

A rotating projection 921 may be provided on the lower surface of theupper part 91. A pair of rotating projections may be formed and onerotating projection may be formed at a position corresponding to theshaft inlet port 961 and the shaft outlet port 962, respectively. Inother words, the pair of rotating projections 921 may be formed atpositions which are rotated by 90 degrees with respect to each other.

On the other hand, the lower part 92 may extend from the center of theupper part 91 in the lower direction. The lower part 92 may be smallerthan the inner diameter of the seating portion 65 and extend through theseating portion 65 in the lower direction. The lower part 92 may extendto a length such that the shaft 90 and the upper supporter 80 can beengaged with each other when the filter 40 is coupled to the head 60.

A water outlet guide portion 965 b may be formed on one side surface ofthe lower part 92. The water outlet guide portion 965 b may extendvertically from the lower side of the shaft outlet port 962. Forexample, the water outlet guide portion 965 b may be formed by cutting aportion of the outer surface of the lower part 92 having a cylindricalshape into a planar shape.

Therefore, in a state where the shaft 90 is mounted on the head 60, thewater outlet guide portion 965 b of the shaft 90 may be spaced apartfrom the inner surface of the head 60 and thus the shaft water outflowpath 965 which is a flow path of water is formed. Since the lower end ofthe water outlet guide portion 965 b is located on the upper side of thefilter outlet port 862, the water discharged from the filter outlet port862 is moved along the water outlet guide portion 965 b in the upperdirection, and then passes by the shaft outlet port 962 and the wateroutlet portion 612 in this order and flows to the water outlet pipe 302.

FIG. 15 is a cutaway exploded perspective view illustrating an internalstructure of the head viewed from one side according to an embodiment ofthe invention. FIG. 16 is a cutaway exploded perspective viewillustrating the internal structure of the head viewed from the otherside.

FIG. 15 illustrates a longitudinal section in a state where the bypassflow path 95 is switched to be connected to the water inlet portion 611and the water outlet portion 612. As shown, a bypass flow path 95passing through the center of the upper part 91 may be formed on theupper part 91, and the bypass inlet port 951 and the bypass outlet port952 may be formed on both sides of the circumference of the upper part91, respectively.

The bypass inlet port 951 and the bypass outlet port 952 may be largerthan the sizes of the water inlet port 611 a and the water outlet port612 a, and may be positioned between a pair of shaft O-rings which arevertically disposed. Therefore, the water passing through the bypassflow path 95 in a state where the bypass flow path 95 is aligned withthe water inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 does notleak to the outside and passes across the head 60.

In other words, water introducing into the head 60 passes through thehead 60 without passing through the filter 40, and even in a state wherethe filter 40 is separated, water does not leak from a side on which thefilter 40 is mounted and can be continuously supplied to the watersupplying flow path 30.

On the other hand, a flow path projecting portion 963 which projects forforming the filtering flow path 96 (described in more detail below) isformed on the inner surface of the bypass flow path 95. The flow pathprojecting portion 963 may be formed at the center of the inside portionof the shaft 90 and project from the bottom of the bypass flow path 95but may be formed not to shield the bypass flow path 95.

Both ends of the flow path projecting portion 963 may be inclined orrounded so that a decrease in the flow velocity caused by the flow pathprojecting portion 963 can be minimized when water flows through thebypass flow path 95.

FIG. 16 illustrates a longitudinal section in a state where thefiltering flow path is shifted to be connected with the water inletportion and the water outlet portion. As shown, the filtering flow path96 may be connected to the water inlet portion 611 and the water outletportion 612 according to the rotation of the shaft 90.

At this time, the shaft inlet port 961 and the shaft outlet port 962 arein contact with the water inlet port 611 a and the water outlet port 612a, respectively. and the outsides of the shaft inlet port 961 and theshaft outlet port 962 and the outsides of the water inlet port 611 a andthe water outlet port 612 a are capable of being fully sealed by thesealing member 94. An inner pipe 97 may be formed on the inside of thelower part 92, and the inner pipe 97 can be connected to the supporterextending portion 85.

Accordingly, the water which flows into through the shaft 90 can besupplied to the inside portion of the filter 40 through the uppersupporter 80 and discharged to the shaft 90 through the upper supporter80 after the water is purified by the filtering member 44. In otherwords, the water which flows into the head 60 can be purified throughthe filter 40 and then discharged through the head 60.

On the other hand, the filtering flow path 96 may include a shaft waterinlet flow path 964 and a shaft water outlet flow path 965.

The shaft water inlet flow path 964 may include a horizontal portion 964a that extends from the shaft inlet port 961 to the center of the shaft90 and a vertical portion 964 b that extends from an end portion of thevertical portion 964 a in the lower direction. The vertical portion 964b may be formed by the inner pipe 97.

The outer surface of the inner pipe 97 may be spaced apart from theinner surface of the lower part 92 to form a spacing space 971. Thedistance of the spacing space 971 may correspond to the thickness of thesupporter extending portion 85. Therefore, when the filter 40 ismounted, the upper end of the supporter extending portion 85 can beinserted into an inside of the spacing space 971.

The length of the inner pipe 97 in the vertical direction may be shorterthan the length of the outer surface of the lower part 92 in thevertical direction. The inner pipe 97 and the supporter extendingportion 85 may be connected together on the inner surface of the lowerpart 92. To this end, a second connecting portion 972 may be formed onthe lower end of the inner pipe 97.

The second connecting portion 972 may have a shape corresponding to thefirst connecting portion 851. The second connecting portion 972 may beinserted into the first connecting portion 851 so that the shaft 90 andthe upper supporter 80 can be rotated together.

The shaft water inlet flow path 964 may communicate with the filterinlet flow path 871. The water for purification can be supplied to thefiltering member 44 by the coupling together the inner pipe 97 and thesupporter extending portion 85.

The shaft water outlet flow path 965 may include an water outlet guideportion 965 b formed on an outer surface of the lower part 92, and anwater outlet connecting portion 965 a formed on the upper part 91.

The upper end of the water outlet guide portion 965 b may pass throughthe lower surface of the upper part 91 and then communicate with thewater outlet connecting portion 965 a. The water outlet connectingportion 965 a may connect the water outlet guide portion 965 b and theshaft outlet port 962 at the inside of the upper part 91.

Accordingly, the purified water which is discharged from the filteroutlet port 862 can move along the water guide portion 965 b in theupper direction and be discharged to the shaft outlet port 962 throughthe water outlet connecting portion 965 a. The purified water which isdischarged to the shaft outlet port 962 may be discharged through thewater outlet portion 612.

Accordingly, for example, in a state where the filtering flow path 96 isconnected to the water inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion612, the water which flows into the head 60 through the water inlet pipe301 is supplied into the inside portion of the filter 40 and then iscapable of being purified, and may flow again from the filter 40 to thehead 60 and be discharged to the water outlet pipe 302.

On the other hand, the body seating portion 65 may be formed on theinner circumferential surface of the upper body 64. The lower surface ofthe upper part 91 may be seated on the body seating portion 65 when theshaft 90 is mounted.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating the head viewed from belowaccording to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 18 is a partiallycutaway perspective view illustrating the head.

With reference to FIGS. 15-18, a rotating guide 651 may be formed on thebody seating portion 65. The rotating projection 921 may be positionedon an inside of the rotating guide 651. The rotating guide 651 may beformed on the body by cutting the body at an angle of 180 degrees withrespect to the center of the head body 61. However, it is not limitedthereto.

Since a pair of rotating projections 921 are disposed at an angle of 90degrees, in a case where the shaft 90 may be rotated by the angle of 90degrees, the rotating projections 921 is capable of being stopped bystoppers 652 which are formed on both ends of the rotating guide 651.

The water inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 may beselectively connected to the filtering flow path 96 or the bypass flowpath 95 at a position which is stopped by the stopper 652. Therefore,when the user rotates the filter 40 to a point where the filter 40 is nolonger rotated in one direction even without rotating the filter 40, theflow path is capable of being selected and accurately connected.

A flow path cutout portion 653 may be formed on one side of the bodyseating portion 65. The flow path cutout portion 653 may be formed onthe seating portion 65 in a position facing the rotating guide 651 andmay be formed on the lower side of the water outlet port 612 a in thevertical direction.

Therefore, the flow path cutout portion 653 may be disposed at aposition which is the same as that of the water outlet guide portion 965b in a state where the shaft 90 is rotated so that the filtering flowpath 96 is connected to the water inlet portion 611 and the water outletportion 612. The flow path cutout portion 653 may have the same (orsubstantially the same) width as the water outlet guide portion 965 b.Therefore, the water outlet guide portion 965 b and the flow path cutoutportion 653 can be in contact with each other to form a flow paththrough which the purified water is capable of flowing in the upperdirection.

On the other hand, a pair of the coupling grooves 631 and a plurality ofthe supporting ribs 634 may be formed on the inner surface of the lowerbody 63. When the filter 40 is mounted on the head 60 and then rotatedso that the filtering flow path 96 is connected to the water inletportion 611 and the water outlet portion 612, the coupling projection433 can be inserted into the coupling groove 631.

The coupling groove 631 may be exposed to the outside portion throughthe opening portion 632, arid the coupling state of the restrainingprojection 433 b and the restraining groove 631 a can be checked throughthe opening portion 632. The position of the restraining groove 631 amay be formed at a position in which the restraining projection 433 band the restraining groove 631 a may be engaged to be restrained witheach other in a state where the coupling projection 433 is fullyrotated. Therefore, in a state where the filter 40 is inserted into theinside of the head 60 and then fully rotated, the coupling projection433 is capable of being restrained in the inside of the coupling groove631 and thus random separation of the filter can be prevented.

On the other hand, the coupling groove 631 may be formed by a firstguide projecting portion 635 which projects from the inner surface ofthe lower body 63. The restraining groove 631 a may be formed on theupper surface of the first guide projecting portion 635. The first guideprojecting portion 635 may be formed from the opened end of the lowerbody 63 to the coupling groove 631 and provide a surface on which thecoupling projection 433 can be seated.

Therefore, when the filter 40 is inserted into the head 60, the couplingprojection 433 cannot be inserted into some sections of the opening ofthe lower surface of the head 60 due to the interference of the firstguide projecting portion 635. The coupling projection 433 can beinserted through the section which is not interfered with the firstguide projecting portion 635, so that the filter 40 can be preventedfrom being erroneously mounted.

A first groove guide portion 633 a for guiding the coupling projection433 to the entrance of the adjacent coupling groove 631 may be formed onone side surface of the first guide projecting portion 635. The firstgroove guide portion 633 a may have a predetermined inclination and bein contact with the projection guide portion 433 a of the couplingprojection 433 and thus guide the rotational movement of the couplingprojection 433 in one direction when the coupling projection 433 isinserted.

A second guide projecting portion 636 may be formed on one side which isspaced apart from the end portion of the first groove guide portion 633a along the inner surface of the lower body 63 by a predetermineddistance. A second groove guide portion 633 b may be inclined on thesecond guide projecting portion 636 so that the coupling projection 433which passes by the first groove guide portion 633 a moves along thesecond groove guide portion 633 b so as to be guided and moved to theentrance of the coupling groove 631. The second groove guide portion 633b may extend from one side away from the first groove guide portion 633a to the entrance of the coupling groove 631.

Therefore, when the filter 40 is inserted into the opened lower surfaceof the lower body 63 after the coupling projection 433 is positioned ata position corresponding to the inserting display portion 613 when thefilter 40 is mounted, the projection guide portion 433 a slides alongthe first groove guide portion 633 a and then slides along the secondgroove guide portion 633 b and is inserted into the inside of thecoupling groove 631.

In a case where the user inserts the coupling projection 433 of thefilter 40 by aligning the coupling projection 433 in a process of thefilter 40 being inserted into the inside of the head 60, the filter 40can be coupled while being smoothly rotated by the first groove guideportion 633 a and the second groove guide portion 633 b.

The shaft 90 and the upper supporter 80 are integrally coupled togetherin a state where the filter 40 is fully inserted and then the couplingprojection 433 is positioned at the entrance of the coupling groove 631.When the filter 40 is further rotated so that the coupling projection433 is fully inserted into the inside of the coupling groove 631, theshaft 90 is rotated together with the filter 40 and the filtering flowpath 96 is rotated to be connected to the water inlet portion 611 andthe water outlet portion 612.

To this end, a second connecting portion 972 may be formed at the lowerend of the shaft 90, that is, at the lower end of the inner pipe 97. Apair of second connecting portions 972 may have the same shape at aposition which faces each other, and both sides of the lower end of theinner pipe 97 may be formed by a cutting operation. However, it is notlimited to thereto.

Specifically, the lower end of the inner pipe 97 may include the pair ofsecond connecting portions 972 and a pair of pipe cutout portions 973formed between the second connecting portions 972. The pair of secondconnecting portions 972 may have a width which is gradually narrowed inthe lower direction.

A second inclined surface 974 may be formed at both side ends of thepair of second connecting portions 972 and the second inclined surface974 may be formed to have an inclination corresponding to the firstinclined surface 853.

The second inclined surface 974 may be inserted along the first inclinedsurface 853 in a process of the filter 40 being rotatably inserted intothe head 60. When the filter 40 is fully inserted into the head 60, thesecond connecting portion 972 may be matched with the first connectingportion 851 and the projecting portion 852 may be matched with the pipecutoff portion 973. Therefore, the first inclined surface 853 and thesecond inclined surface 974 can be in close contact with each other.

In addition, the second inclined surface 974 may be inclined in thedirection of rotation of the filter 40 as the first inclined surface853. Therefore, when the filter 40 is further rotated in a state wherethe rotation of the shaft 90 is restricted by the stopper 652, the forcein the rotating direction is acted to the second inclined surface 974and the first inclined surface 853 and the first inclined surface 853moves along the second inclined surface 974 so that the filter 40 can bemore easily separated.

On the other hand, a plurality of the supporting ribs 634 may be formedon the inner surface of the lower body 63, and the outer surface of thefilter inserting portion 431 can be supported by the supporting ribs634.

Hereinafter, the operation of the water purifying apparatus according toan embodiment of the invention having the structure described above isdescribed.

FIG. 19 is a cutaway perspective view illustrating a state where of thefilter and the head are separated from each other according to anembodiment of the invention. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of portion A ofFIG. 19, and FIG. 21 is a view illustrating a shaft position in a statewhere the filter and the head are separated from each other.

As illustrated in the drawings, the bypass flow path 95 may be connectedto the water inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612 in astate where the filter 40 is not coupled to the head 60.

Therefore, the water which flows into through the water inlet portion611 flows into the bypass inlet port 951 through the water inlet port611 a and flows along the bypass flow path 95. The water is dischargedto the water outlet portion 612 through the bypass outlet port 952 andthe water outlet port 612 a. In other words, the water which flows intothe water inlet portion 611 passes through the head 60 without beingsubjected to a purification process, and is supplied directly to the icemaker 24 or the dispenser 23 through the water supplying flow path 30.

Such a state may correspond to a state where the filter 40 is separatedfor replacement of the filter 40, or may correspond to a situation wherethe service which is related to the cleaning of a pipeline or othermaintenance is performed. In addition, even in a case where at least aportion of the plurality of filters 40 are not used, or wherepurification of water is not required, it is capable of corresponding tosuch a state. Moreover, even in a case where the filter 40 is fullyseparated, no problem occurs in use of the refrigerator 1.

On the other hand, with reference to FIG. 21, when the disposition ofthe shaft 90 is described in a state where the filter 40 is not mounted,the first rotating projection 921 a of the pair of rotating projections921 is in a state of being in contact with the stopper 652 of one sideof the rotating guide 651. In this state, the water outlet guide portion965 b and the flow path cutout portion 653 are maintained a state ofbeing shifted by an angle of about 90 degrees with each other.

FIG. 22 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is inserted intoan inside of the head according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG.23 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is fully insertedinto the inside of the head.

As illustrated in the drawings, the filter inserting portion 431 isinserted into the opening of the lower surface of the head 60 to mountthe filter 40. At this time, the position of the coupling projection 433is capable of being aligned and inserted by referring to the insertingdisplay portion 613 formed on the outside of the head 60.

The coupling projection 433 slides along the first groove guide 633 aand the second groove guide 633 b in a process of the insertion of thefilter 40. Accordingly, the filter 40 can be smoothly rotated along withinsertion.

When the filter 40 is inserted by a predetermined depth, the insertionof the second connecting portion 972 into the inside of the firstconnecting portion 851 proceeds, as illustrated in FIG. 21. At thistime, the second connecting portion 972 and the first connecting portion851 are capable of being slid while the second inclined surface 974 andthe first inclined surface 853 are in contact with each other,respectively. Accordingly, the second connecting portion 972 may beguided to the inside of the first connecting portion 851.

In other words, when the filter 40 is inserted and mounted, the filter40 is smoothly rotated in the process of inserting the filter 40 intothe head 60 by the first groove guide 633 a and the second groove guide633 b. The shaft 90 and the supporter extending portion 85 can be fullymatched by sliding the second inclined surface 974 and the firstinclined surface 853 in the process of rotation, as illustrated in FIG.23.

As illustrated in FIG. 23, the coupling projections 433 may be locatedon the inner side or the entrance side of the coupling grooves 631 in acase where the shaft 90 and the supporter extending portion 85 are fullymatched with each other. In other words, the filter 40 corresponds to astate where the filter 40 is simply inserted before the filter 40 isfully coupled with the head. In this state, the shaft 90 is not rotated,and the bypass flow path 95 is in a state of being connected to thewater inlet portion 611 and the water outlet portion 612.

Moreover, in the state illustrated in FIG. 23, the user is capable offurther rotating the filter 40 in the rotation advancing direction andis rotated by about 90 degrees so that the coupling projection 433 isfully inserted into the inside of the coupling groove 631.

FIG. 24 is a view illustrating a state where the filter is rotated forcoupling in a state where the filter is fully inserted into the insideof the head according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 25 is anenlarged view of portion B in FIG. 24, and FIG. 26 is a viewillustrating a shaft position in a state where the filter is coupled tothe head.

In a state of being illustrated in FIG. 23, when the filter 40 isfurther rotated by an angle of 90 degrees so that the couplingprojection 433 and the coupling groove 631 are rotated to be fullycoupled with each other, the shaft 90 is also rotated along with therotation of the filter and thus is in a state of being illustrated inFIG. 26.

Specifically, when the filter 40 is rotated in a state where the secondconnecting portion 972 is inserted into the first connecting portion 851and thus fully coupled together, the shaft 90 rotates along with thefilter 40.

The shaft 90 may be further rotated by an angle of about 90 degreesuntil the second rotating projection 921 b reaches the position of thestopper 652. When the shaft 90 is fully rotated, the filtering flow path96 is connected to the water inlet portion 611 and the water outletportion 612. Of course, the inner pipe 97 and the supporter extendingportion 85 maintains a connected state with each other and thus theoriginal water and the purified water is capable of flowing in and outbetween the head 60 and the filter 40. In addition, the couplingprojection 433 is in a state of being fully inserted into and thus iscoupled with the coupling groove 631 and the filter 40 is operated to berotated in a direction which is opposite to the coupling direction bythe user and thus the filter 40 is maintained in a state of couplingwith the head 40 until the filter 40 is separated from the head 60.

Moreover, in the state illustrated in FIG. 24, the water flowing inthrough the water inlet portion 611 flows along the shaft water inletflow path 964 through the water inlet port 611 a and the shaft inletport 961. In other words, water flowing along the horizontal portion 964a and the vertical portion 964 b passes by the inner pipe 97, flows intothe inside of the supporter extending portion 85 and flows along thefirst filter inlet flow path 872 in the lower direction. Then, water isbranched by the second filter inlet flow path 873 and flows into thespace between the inner surface of the housing 41 and the filteringmember 44.

The water flowing into the hollow 441 of the inside of the filteringmember 44 from the outside of the filtering member 44 may be purified inthe process of passing through the filtering member 44. The purifiedwater of the inside of the filtering member 44 flows along the inside ofthe first extending portion 86 in the upper direction and is dischargedfrom the filter outlet port 862 which is disposed on both sides of theupper end of the first extending portion 86 in the upper direction.

At this time, a space in which water purified by the outer surface ofthe first extending portion 86 arid the lower part 92 inserted into theinside of the filter inserting portion 431 flows to the head 60 side maybe formed in the inside of the filter inserting portion 431. On theother hand, as illustrated in FIG. 24, in a state where the filteringflow path 96 is connected to the water inlet portion 611 and the wateroutlet portion 612, the water outlet guide portion 965 b and the flowpath cutout portion 653 are positioned at the same position with eachother and thus the purified water is capable of flowing to the upperpart 91 side.

Accordingly, the purified water flows along the water outlet guideportion 965 b formed in the lower part 92 in the upper direction andflows into the inside of the upper part 91 and thus passes through theshaft outlet port 962 and the water outlet portion 612 in this order,and then is discharged to the water outlet portion 612. The water outletpipe 302 of the water outlet portion 612 forms a portion of the watersupplying flow path 30 to supply the purified water to the dispenser 23and the ice maker 24.

Moreover, in the state illustrated in FIG. 23, in a state where thefilter 40 should be removed because of reach of period of replacement ofthe filter 40 or other maintenance, the filter 40 is first rotated in adirection which is opposite to the coupling direction.

The coupling projection 433 may be moved in a direction away from thecoupling groove 631 according to the rotation of the filter 40 and thesupporter extending portion 85 rotates the shaft 90. As illustrated inFIG. 20, when the filtering flow path 96 is closed by the shaft 90 beingrotated by 90 degrees and then the bypass flow path 95 is connected, therotating projection 921 contacts the stopper 652 and thus is restrictedthe rotation of the shaft 90.

In this state, when a force is applied to further rotate the filter 40,the shaft 90 cannot be further rotated based on interference with thestopper 652. Accordingly, a torsion moment is applied to the firstinclined surface 853 and the second inclined surface 974 so that thesecond inclined surface 974 is smoothly separated along the firstinclined surface 853 while being slid. Further, the coupling projection433 which is escaped from the coupling groove 631 passes by the secondgroove guide portion 633 b and the first groove guide portion 633 a inthis order to allow the filter 40 to be separated from the head 60.

In the disclosed embodiments of the invention, so as to facilitate theunderstanding of the invention, as an example, the water purifyingapparatus 17 is described as being mounted on the refrigerator 1.However, it is understood that the water purifying apparatus 17described herein can likewise be applied to the water purifier which isgenerally used and the entire device which is capable of purifying waterby a filter exchanging manner.

The water purifying apparatus according to the disclosed embodiments andthe refrigerator including the water purifying apparatus have at leastthe following effects.

According to the disclosed embodiments of the invention, in a case wherethe filter is separated from the head for replacement or maintenance ofthe filter, the bypass flow path connects to the water inlet portion andthe water outlet portion so that the flow path is capable of beingconnected without generating leakage. Since the water supplying flowpath is capable of being maintained in a connected state by the bypassflow path, continuous supply of water to the dispenser or the ice makerbecomes possible, and service work such as the cleaning of the flow pathbecomes possible. Therefore, convenience of use of the water purifyingapparatus is improved.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,the filtration flow path is connected to the water inlet portion and thewater outlet portion during the rotation operation for mounting thefilter, so that purified water is capable of being supplied. Whenrotation for the separation of the filter is operated, the bypass flowpath is connected to the water inlet portion and the water outletportion so that water is capable of being continuously supplied even atthe removal of the filter. In other words, the flow path can be switchedwithout additional operation by the rotation operation of mounting andseparating the filter. Thus, convenience of use of the water purifyingapparatus is further improved.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,the exact position is capable of being displayed on the head into whichthe filter is inserted so that the filter is capable of being mountedaccurately. In addition, since a groove guide which is in contact withthe coupling projection is formed at the inside of the head so as to beinclined, the filter is capable of being smoothly rotated and thusinserted into the coupling groove only by inserting the filter at anexact position. In addition, since the flow paths of the head and thefilter are capable of being connected at the same time by the couplingof the coupling projections with the coupling grooves. Thus, convenienceof use of the water purifying apparatus is further improved.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion which areformed at the ends of the shaft and the upper supporter have a structurewhich are matched with each other and have an inclination in the axialdirection and thus when the filter is inserted into the head, since theinclinations are in contact with each other, the filter is guided to beinserted in the exact position. In addition, when the filter is rotatedto separate the filter, the inclined surfaces of the first connectingportion and the second connecting portion are capable of being easilyseparated from each other in a section in which the rotation of theshaft is restricted. Thus, convenience of use of the water purifyingapparatus is further improved.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,since the flow path is capable of switching by only the rotation of theshaft without a separate valve structure and an elastic member forswitching the flow path, the configuration of the product is capable ofbeing simplified. Thus, productivity can be improved and manufacturingcost can be reduced.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,malfunction of the water purifying apparatus is prevented orsubstantially minimized due to a less complex operation structure,reliability of the water purifying apparatus is assured, and thedurability of the water purifying apparatus is improved.

In addition, according to the disclosed embodiments of the invention,since a portion of the filtering flow path projects to the inside of thebypass flow path, so that the structure of the shaft is capable of beingmade compact. Thus, the capacity loss of the refrigerator hen the waterpurifying apparatus is installed in the refrigerator can be minimized bythe size of the head on which the shaft is mounted, and the waterpurifying apparatus can have a more compact structure.

The foregoing description is merely illustrative of the technical ideaof the present invention and various changes and modifications may bemade without departing from the essential characteristics of the presentinvention by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the presentinvention belongs. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the presentinvention are intended to illustrate rather than limit the scope of thepresent invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the presentinvention is not limited by these embodiments.

-   -   1-37. (canceled)

38. A filter structure, comprising: a housing body comprising an openingportion and a first accommodating space to accommodate a filteringmember; a housing cap coupled to the opening portion, the housing capcomprising a second accommodating space; a housing fastening portionprovided on an inner circumferential surface of the housing cap; and anupper supporter disposed in the second accommodating space, the uppersupporter configured to be coupled to the accommodated filtering memberand to an inner surface of the housing cap, the upper supportercomprising: a supporter accommodating portion configured to be coupledto the accommodated filtering member, a supporter stepped portion formedon the supporter accommodating portion, wherein a second filter inletflow path is formed in the supporter stepped portion and configured tosupply water in a space between the filtering member and the housingbody, a supporter extending portion extending from the supporter steppedportion, wherein the supporter extending portion comprises a firstfilter inlet flow path that is communicably coupled with the secondfilter inlet flow path and a filter outlet flow path.
 39. The filterstructure of claim 38, further comprising a supporter fastening portionconfigured to be coupled to the housing fastening portion to preventrotation of the upper supporter in the housing cap.
 40. The filterstructure of claim 38, wherein the supporter extending portioncomprises: a first extending portion extending from the center of thesupporter stepped portion; and a second extending portion extending fromthe first extending portion, the second extending portion having across-sectional area that is smaller than that of the first extendingportion, wherein the filter outlet flow path extends in the filteringmember and extends to a top end of the first extending portion.
 41. Thefilter structure of claim 40, further comprising a first extendingportion O-ring and a second extending portion O-ring, wherein the firstextending portion O-ring is disposed in the first extending portion andthe second extending portion O-ring is disposed in the second extendingportion.
 42. The filter structure of claim 38, wherein the second filterinlet flow path is communicably coupled with a bottom of the firstfilter inlet flow path and extends in a lateral direction.
 43. Thefilter structure of claim 38, wherein the second filter inlet flow pathcomprises an opening formed in a circumferential surface of thesupporter stepped portion and extends toward the center of the supporterstepped portion.
 44. The filter structure of claim 43, wherein the firstfilter inlet flow path and the second filter inlet flow path areconnected to each other at a lower end of the supporter extendingportion and configured such that water flows through the first filterinlet flow path and then flows along the second filter inlet flow path.